


your protector

by ronsparkyspeirs



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - No Zombies, F/M, X-Men AU - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-07
Updated: 2015-11-02
Packaged: 2018-04-25 06:09:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4949647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ronsparkyspeirs/pseuds/ronsparkyspeirs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>a bethyl x-men inspired au. </p><p>He turns and she's standing by the cage, a girl, a kid really, bright blue eyes and blonde hair, she looks completely out of place and he wonders what someone like her is doing in a place like this.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> so if you've watched the very first x-men movie (2000) then you pretty much know that the relationship between Wolverine and Rogue was pretty intense (and i'll always be angry that they decided to completely forsake their connection in the following movies), there was a lot of longing stares and touching and promises so that's pretty much for what i'm going with here. i'm using components of the movie which i liked and changing anything i see fit. 
> 
> everyone has a mutation, with Daryl and Beth having their x-men universe counterparts powers, which should keep it interesting. in case you don't know, Wolverine is a super healer as well as being feral, meaning he has heightened senses, in this story i totally gave Daryl the Wolverine's signature claws because why the hell not, also that will be a topic which will definitely come up, how he got them and why. Beth on the other hand will have Rogue's untouchable skin, so yes, her skin will be dangerous but i'm sure they'll figure a way around it.

A year before her fifteenth birthday her momma died, and three weeks after she turned sixteen her daddy went. He’d been so heartbroken after her momma had died and then her, daddy just couldn’t take it; a dead wife and a mutant for a daughter, it wasn’t that he harbored any anger towards Beth but he’d known the instant she manifested just how difficult life would be for his youngest daughter. It’d been too much for his fragile heart and with pain in his eyes he’d said goodbye, told Maggie to take care of Beth. She couldn’t even kiss him goodbye for the fear of what her skin would do to him. 

It’d been a shock to the remaining Greene’s when one day she’d been out in the stables, petting her favorite horse and all of a sudden he let out a terrible noise and he’d fallen to the ground, trembling and shaking, a seizure her daddy would later say. But why? he’d been just fine until Beth started running her hands through his mane, she’d been feeding him hay and when his tongue had swept out and licked her palm he’d fallen so terribly to the hard ground. 

Maggie had taken Beth into her arms, smoothing her long blonde hair back as Beth had cried, and then when a single fingertip trailed its way up to wipe the tears from her eyes, Maggie had fainted, her eyes had rolled back into her head and she’d started seizing, just like her horse. Beth had screamed, going into hysterics as she told her daddy “It was me! It’s me!" By the end of the day Beth had covered herself up in long gloves and a scarf around her neck despite the blistering Georgia heat. 

She’d read news articles about mutant children, how they mostly manifested shortly after puberty, so why was this happening to her now? but then again, she’d always been a late bloomer so she guessed this was just something else that applied to that as well. 

Two days after they buried her daddy, Maggie had called her into the kitchen, a couple of bills on the table and a heartbreaking expression on her face. Beth had known even before she said anything, she’d watched the documentaries about the so called “camps” designed to “cure” people of their mutant gene, she’d watched the news as reports of anti-mutant violence increased, a few days prior a group of men had taken a teenage girl out into a field in Mississippi and burned her at the stake, accused her of being a witch. 

“I’m sorry, Bethy,” Maggie had sobbed, “it’s just not safe here, for you anymore.” 

“It’s okay, Mags, I understand,” Beth had responded, a smile on her face. She knew this day was coming anyways, people were starting to get suspicious, and in a little town news traveled fast. So Beth had packed what little she could into an old duffel bag and in the morning Maggie had driven her to the bus station. 

“Where will you go?” Maggie asked. 

“North, somewhere where I won’t look too outta place,” Beth giggled, gesturing at her clothes. 

“That’s smart, you always had more sense than I did,” Maggie said, tears brimming her eyes. Beth had hugged her sister as carefully as she could and promised her to see her in the near future. 

“Once I settle down, you can come up and visit,” she’d told her sister even though she’d been unsure of that herself. 

************

In Colorado Beth ran out of money, she was stranded and without a job, so she’d started hitching her way up even further North. She just had to get away from as many people as she could, in cold weather no one would ever suspect she was a mutant because of the way she dressed. And if some of the truck drivers got handsy while she rode shotgun, well then, Beth didn’t feel too guilty when a single touch dropped them on their ass. 

Somewhere near the Canadian border Beth hears of a bar, someplace rough and full of people she'd never been around back in Georgia. She thinks it might be the perfect place to go looking for a job, they won't care where she comes from or who she is, and if she's lucky they won't ask how old she is, so she hitches a ride and arrives one cold night. 

The parking lot is full of big rigs and trucks and motorcycles, a couple of rough looking men eye her warily as she makes her way inside but Beth's not worried, she has her own personal electrified fence after all. The sounds and smells coming from inside hit her senses like a freight train. The place is huge and packed, scantily clad women walking around despite the near freezing temperatures outside, the smell of liquor strong in her nose. She hears yelling and cheering coming from deeper inside the building and Beth has to push her way toward the sound. 

Once she sees the reason for the cheers Beth can only stand and stare. A cage is set in the middle of the room and there are two men inside, fighting, each blow and smack of skin on skin only serving to whip the crowd into a bigger frenzy. It's completely barbaric yet something about the spectacle has Beth's eyes glued to the carnage. Blood and sweat and spit, like a gladiator pit, she wonders what kind of man would willingly enter the cage. 

One of the men punches the other and he goes straight to the ground, two other men have to drag him out of the cage. Beth cranes her neck to see the winning man better, his back is broad and his arms are huge, he seems to freeze in his step and when he turns around Beth's breath is knocked out of her. 

"Winner, once again!" The announcer shouts, "Dixon!" He says, the crowd both cheering and booing at the standing man. 

He has long, shaggy hair, shielding his eyes from her view but the way he walks toward a corner of the cage is what gets to her. He's like a big cat, predatory and at ease at the same time, he lights up a cigarette and Beth sees a woman reach a hand inside the cage, giving him a shot of amber liquid that he quickly downs in one gulp. He looks deadly, there's a calm to his stance but Beth knows better, he's not going home a loser tonight, he'll be the king of the cage. 

***********

He smells her before he even sees her, clean and innocent, she smells untouched and it's the only reason he can pick her out amongst the throng of scents in the place. He turns and she's standing by the cage, a girl, a kid really, bright blue eyes and blonde hair, she looks completely out of place and he wonders what someone like her is doing in a place like this. 

Well, it ain't none of his business anyways. She's most likely a teenage runaway, maybe a teenage hooker, Daryl's met a handful of those in the past and that's the type of shit he don't need in his life. So he turns his back to her and hopes she starts giving those eyes to some other asshole. 

The night drags on and somewhere between fight number three and seven he loses sight of the blonde, he almost sighs in relief when he can't pick her out from the crowd. Daryl pulls on his jacket and makes his way to the fight organizer, time to collect his hard earned cash. 

"Made me a lot of money tonight, Dixon," the man grins, his teeth yellowed from tobacco, "haven't had a night like this one in a long time!" He says, "sure you don't wanna hang around a couple more days?"

"No," Daryl responds, the faster he can get outta here the better. 

The man shrugs, "oh well, drinks are still on the house." 

Daryl gives him a slight nod, maybe he'll stick around for a beer after all. He takes his cash and makes his way to the bar and goddammit.

She's sitting there, perched atop a stool like a little fragile thing, a streaked glass of water in front of her. She doesn't look at him until he speaks, asks the bartender for a beer. 

She turns her eyes on him and Daryl tries not to squirm in his seat, they're wide and round and her lips are soft and pink and fuck if she doesn't look all of twelve years old. Maybe that's how she gets her johns, turns on that mock innocence and lures them in with promises of sweetness and naïveté. Only problem is, Daryl doesn't smell the desperation coming off her in waves, not like the other girls, she smells like she's never told a single lie in her life. 

The bartender turns on the old tv and a news segment about mutants is on, Daryl chugs his beer and is about to leave when one of his cage opponents comes up behind him. 

"I know what you are," he snarls, giving Daryl a hard poke in his shoulder. 

He ignores the guy, can feel the girl's eyes on him, but the asshole doesn't let up, he shoves at Daryl's shoulder. He even tries walking away, gets up from his seat and is about to take a step when all of a sudden there's an ear piercing shriek coming from the girl and he looks down and sees a knife sticking out his side. Almost on instinct he slides the claws from one hand and sticks them under the other guys throat. 

He freezes and Daryl smells terror, his eyes flit to the girl but it's not coming from her, she's just staring, entranced by the sight of his hand. 

A second later the bartender has a shotgun pointed at his face, "Out of my bar, freak!" he threatens so Daryl slides his claws through it like butter and turns around and walks out of the place. 

********

He had knives! The man had knives coming out of his hands! Beth knows she's not going crazy because everyone else in the place saw them too. She'd seen her fair share of mutations but none of them like that! She wonders if they hurt, what that must feel like every time he slides them out. 

But she doesn't have time to wonder too much because in a split second she has to make a decision. Either stay there and take her chances with people who are clearly anti-mutant or out there with the man who glared at her from his seat on the bar. 

He had angel wings on his back, she'd caught sight of the vest he was wearing over his jacket, they seemed like a beacon, so out of place; and just like that, her decision is made. 

She takes her duffel bag and runs out behind him, he's sliding into his truck by the time she makes her way outside and she has to run to climb onto the trailer that's hitched to the back of his camper because he's already turning on the lights and is about to pull out of the lot. 

It's freezing and the drive is rough but Beth knows she's safe with this man, somehow she just knows it, after all if he had wanted to hurt her he could have done so back at the bar. He could have lured her into the bathroom or outside, but he didn’t. It must be half an hour later when the truck screeches to a halt and Beth can feel her heartbeat racing, no, no, please keep driving. 

The tarp she'd pulled over herself is yanked off her and she meets the man's stony glare.


	2. chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beth and Daryl encounter some stuff on the road.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i just really want to thank everyone that read and reviewed!!! i didn't think many people were gonna be into an x-men au but i was mistaken, and i'm so glad that a lot of you are into Wolverine/Rogue because honestly i was shipping that before i knew what shipping was.

"The hell you think you're doing?" he asks, girl is looking at him like a scared deer, all wide glassy eyes and what the fuck was she thinking?

"I needed a ride, thought you might help," she responds, softly but firm.

Daryl starts shaking his head, "get out." 

The girl hesitates and Daryl reaches in to pull her duffel bag from inside the trailer, he dumps it on the wet, snowy ground and starts walking away from her without a single word.

"I couldn't stay back there!" she calls out to him, "they would’a killed me... or worse."

A desperate plea if he's ever heard one, she wants him to know that she's just like him. Daryl reaches for the door handle but something makes him pause, makes him think what this girl's been through for her to think that the best chance she's got is with some mutant with claws coming out his hands.

He turns to her, "C'mon," he says, gesturing for her to get in.

The girl runs to the truck, heavy bag bumping against her leg with every step. Daryl slides back inside and waits for her to get in, she yanks the door open and throws herself inside. She turns and gives him a smile, "My name's Beth," she says.

Daryl stays silent as he puts the truck in gear, Beth, pretty name for a pretty girl, even though he has no business looking. From the corner of his eye he sees her rubbing her hands together, the chill inside the cabin of the truck isn't as bad as outside but sometimes Daryl forgets that not everyone has his certain enhancements.

He switches the heating on and then digs in his jacket pocket for a cigarette. The girl, Beth, is quiet but he can feel her eyes on him, on his hands on the steering wheel. It makes him uncomfortable and he wants to scare her, ask her what the fuck she's staring at.

"Does it hurt?" she asks, suddenly, startling him out of his thoughts.

"When they come out? It looks like it does," she tells him, quietly and like she's afraid of his response. Daryl stiffens in his seat, no one had ever asked him that, no one ever gave a damn.

He looks at her sideways, "Yeah," he responds, voice raspy from disuse.

She gives him a brief nod, "So, you gonna tell me your name or do I have to keep calling you Mr. Dixon?"

Daryl snorts, this girl had a lot of guts, he thinks in amusement. Cute kid.

When he doesn't seem inclined to answer she gives him a tiny smile, "You don't have anything to eat, do you?" she asks, sheepishly.

Daryl places the unlit cigarette in his mouth and leans over to the glove box, digging inside he pulls a packet of half eaten jerky and drops it on her lap. She hastily tears the brown gloves from her hands. Pale, delicate looking fingers tear a piece of jerky in two and before he knows it she's shoving the whole thing into her mouth, barely chewing; something in his chest tightens at the sight. He wonders when the last time she ate was, wonders of the things she might have been forced to do for a cheap dinner.

"Daryl, my name's Daryl," he tells her and she answers with a grin, cheek bulging with food.

She eats in silence and Daryl lights his cigarette, he cracks open his window and takes a deep inhale. "Those things cause lung cancer, y'know?" she says, her voice almost reprimanding.

"Don't matter," he shrugs, "not to me."

"Part of your mutation?"  

He nods and she doesn't say anything else. Daryl keeps driving till it's almost dark outside, he turns to look at the girl and she's curled up on her side, leaning against the passenger's side door; her breathing is deep and even and Daryl thinks if he should wake her.

But before he can decide the truck is swerving and he's braking and the girl is wide awake and she's scared and he can smell it and he wants to do anything to make that scent go away. He's about to ask her if she's alright once the truck stops its wild skid when he's unceremoniously yanked from the vehicle.

 

**************

 

"Daryl!" she shouts, one minute she was sleeping the best she has since she left the farm and the next some big thing was pulling Daryl from his seat. 

She's crawling from inside the cab when she suddenly hears what she thinks is a plane. There's shouting and Daryl is telling her to stay back and then there's a woman, seemingly floating from the sky, she sends a bolt of lightning from her hand and strikes the man/beast that had Daryl by the throat, he goes flying and hits a tree so Beth runs to where Daryl was dropped.

"Are you okay?" she asks, but the worry dies on her lips when she sees a large gash on Daryl's forehead seal itself shut, like magic.

"Yeah," he grunts, shaking his head as if to clear the dizziness.

He gets up on shaky legs and she's still staring at his face when he goes to stand in front of her, "Who the hell are you?" he asks, and Beth had all but forgot about the woman from the sky when she twists her head around Daryl's back.

The woman gives him a slight smirk, "You're a hard man to find, Daryl Dixon."

Daryl squares his shoulders and if he blocks the woman's view of Beth a little more, she stays silent. The woman seems like she's alright though and Beth would much prefer to have this conversation someplace warmer, so with a little noise of disapproval from Daryl she goes to stand by his side.

"Are you with that man that attacked us?"

"No. We're here to help," the woman answers, a slight smile on her face.

Beth tilts her head, sizing this stranger up. She's dark skinned and beautiful, feline eyes and long dread locks held back with a colorful headband. Despite what she's seen in the road and what she's been through, she has to believe, she has to. There are still good people.

"I'm Beth," she says, taking a step closer. Beth tries to ignore the hand on her elbow, Daryl trying to keep her back but he's holding on tight.

She turns and places a hand on his arm, "They're good people, Daryl."

He looks at her skeptically, chews on his lower lip and finally, finally, gives her a nod, "A'right, but stick close to me."

She grins and starts walking towards the other woman.

  



	3. chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beth and Daryl arrive at this supposed save haven.

He doesn't know what the fuck is going on. I mean, yeah, these geeks came in and saved his ass, but what the hell he's doing with them he has no idea. He doesn't trust them, he trusts the girl, and his gut is almost always right, instinct, animal-like, it's what he's relied on for as long as he can remember. 

They offer to take them back to their place, somewhere in Washington, a safe haven for people like them, Daryl wants to laugh, there ain't no place safe for their kind. But Beth seems to believe them, she's smiling and inside their fancy jet plane it's warm and a woman who apparently can control things with her mind brings her a sandwich and a carton of milk. 

The trip takes about two hours and all Daryl can do is sit and scowl in his seat, he fucking hates heights and flying isn't conducive to someone with a metal laced skeleton. He's looking out the window, out into the night sky when Beth goes to sit next to him. 

"I hope you're not mad," she says and when Daryl frowns she elaborates, "for coming with these people." 

He looks at her, really looks at her and is confused. He's only know this girl for a couple of hours but something about her makes him feel protective, ready to lay down his life if need be. He shifts uncomfortably because she's just a kid and he's an old man but goddamn it, he wants her to be happy. 

"It's a'right," he tells her, hoping that she knows that he really means it. Beth smiles, with color back in her cheeks she looks pretty and healthy. 

"It's just," she takes a deep breath and Daryl listens, "things have been bad for a while, I was on the road for a long time.. and you were nice to me." 

"..." 

"And now I’m here, this seems like a good place, don't you think so?" she asks, her eyes wide and hopeful. 

He nods jerkily and Beth tilts her head, sizing him up, Daryl swallows hard and tries not to squirm under her gaze. With eyes like that, Daryl figures that she could have him doing anything she wants.

She leans back, smiling, "Thank you, Daryl." 

*********************

When they'd told her they had a safe place, this wasn't what Beth had imagined. It's a huge house, a mansion practically, the house is on a huge compound of land, deep in the Washington forest. It's beautiful and nothing like the places she'd been getting used to. 

A man greets them at the door, says his name is Rick, he asks her name with a voice in her head and Beth is startled for a second before she answers. 

"I believe you've met my wife, Lori," he says, and it's the woman who had placed a sandwich in front of her using her mind, telekinesis. 

"So what do you do here?" Daryl asks, he hasn't left her side since they got on the jet and Beth is relieved. 

"We provide a safe place for people like us," Rick responds, and Beth has a feeling that it's a rehearsed answer, he probably says that to everyone. 

Daryl exhales loudly, "Right, safe," he mutters. 

"Michonne said something about me finishing school," Beth interrupts, before Daryl can say anything else. 

"Yes, we provide the younger children with academic studies," Rick starts, he leads them off deeper into the house and through the hallways she can see children and teenagers alike, some of them watching tv in a rec room and others studying in what she supposes are classrooms. They pass several other adults as well, each introducing themselves. 

They make their way up to the dormitories where Rick says that Lori has already made up a room for Beth, they pass a boy standing in his doorway. She can hear music coming from inside, he looks a little older than Beth but he smiles brightly at her, Beth blushes when he winks at her. She wonders what his powers are, he seemed normal but then again so did she and she was a life sucking leech. Beth is so excited at the prospect of having a real bed to sleep in after all these months that she fails to notice the way that Daryl glares at the boy. 

"You'll be sharing a room with Tara," Rick tells her, "she'll tell you all about the place," he gives her a smile and leaves Beth on her own, Daryl gives her a backward glance and she gives him a little wave. 

When she turns back to the room, the other girl is grinning at Beth, "Hi! I'm Tara, but our fearless leader must have already told you that." 

Beth nods shyly, she's not sure what Lori told this girl, about her powers. She'd only confided in Lori after the other woman had tried to brush her hand across Beth's cheek. 

"You must be Beth," Tara says, "and don't worry, Lori told me about your skin, even though she doesn't need to," she says, dramatically rolling her eyes. 

She must see the confusion in Beth's eyes because she elaborates, "That's my mutation, I can sense other people's powers," she shrugs, "not the coolest but it comes in handy." 

"I bet," Beth tells her, if she would have had that power in the months she spent on the road it would have certainly saved her a few headaches by steering clear of some people. 

"So, what's up with you and tall dark and feral?" Tara asks, her eyebrow raising in curiosity. 

Beth feels her face flush, no one had mentioned it but she can guess what it looked like. A young girl with a much older man, out near the Canadian border, alone. It doesn't matter that nothing happened, doesn't matter the way she just _knows_ that Daryl isn't like that, people are still going to speculate. And it doesn't help the way she was practically glued to his hip since arriving, her mind reminds her. 

"Nothing," Beth says, "he was just helping me out." 

"Really?" 

Beth nods, "I would be dead right now if it wasn't for him, frozen on the side of a road or something." 

"Wow, didn't peg him the hero type," Tara murmurs, but then she's bouncing on the balls of her feet, excitedly telling her all about the 'mansion' as the kids have taken it to calling. 

*************

"How'd you get such nice digs?" Daryl asks Rick, he's led him outside and Daryl thinks it's so he doesn't glare at anymore kids. 

"I came into some money after graduating college," Rick answers, while Daryl lights up a cigarette. 

He blows a plume of smoke into the air and stays silent, a lesson Daryl's learned through his very long life is that nothing comes without a price, he's just waiting to see what the payment will be for staying in a fancy place like this one. 

"You and Beth, how long were you on the road?" Rick asks, he doesn't sound accusing or suspicious but that's not about to fool Daryl. 

"Just met her today," Daryl responds, he has a feeling that Rick already knows, but he's testing him for some reason, waiting to see what Daryl tells him. 

Rick nods, "It's a good thing you did, saving her." 

"Girl saved herself." And it's not a lie, Beth had forced herself unto his truck and into his company, he just gave her a piece of jerky. 

Daryl narrows his eyes, "How'd you know who I was?" 

Rick gives him a smile, "We've got eyes and ears everywhere." 

"Humph", he can't smell a lie coming off the other man but it still doesn't make him any less uneasy. 

"And you weren't exactly making yourself invisible, I mean, cage fighting?"

Daryl shrugs, and continues smoking in silence, the sounds of the surrounding woods serving to calm him. It's familiar and it makes Daryl feel in his element, even more so than the fights. 

"You could be very helpful to our cause," Rick tells him, _and there it is._

"We could use someone like you." 

Daryl throws him a sideway glance, "No, thanks." 

Rick narrows his eyes thoughtfully, like he's carefully choosing his next words, "Do you really want to go back to the way you were living?" 

Daryl grunts, what the fuck does this guy know anyways. 

"Drifting from place to place? Alone?" 

Daryl keeps quiet, he won't be anybody's soldier, not anymore. 

"What about your brother? Don't you want to know where he is?" Rick asks. 

And Daryl stiffens, he can feel himself jerking to attention when the other man mentions his kin. "The hell d'you know about Merle?" he snarls. 

"I know it's been fifteen years since you've seen him," Rick calmly responds, "I could help you find him if that's what you want." 

Daryl ashes his cigarette, he takes a deep drag and blows smoke through his nostrils. Fifteen years. He thinks about the last time he saw Merle, how he just disappeared and left Daryl wandering for fifteen fucking years. 

“What do I gotta do?” 

*************************************

The next time he sees Beth is at dinner time, there’s more people at the house than he expected. Lots of kids and a handful of adults that Rick had told him were teachers of sorts. Rick signals him over and on his way to the table his eye catches a blonde head of hair. 

It's Beth, sat next to that boy from earlier, the one who had winked at her. She doesn't notice him, not when she's so caught up in wonder boy's excited telling of some dumb story. Daryl can only make pieces out pieces of the conversation. 

He eats in silence, occasionally nodding or saying a word when asked something by the adults at the table he's sat. He finishes his meal quickly and makes his way to the back porch, a couple of acres of land surrounded by thick woods. It's quiet and it smells the way he likes it, clean and fresh. Kinda like her, Daryl still can't figure out why he took so quickly to that girl. 

A door opens behind him and he immediately knows it's her. She stands next to him and he can feel her eyes on him. 

"Saw you walk out," she says, by way of explanation. 

"Too damn loud in there," he responds. 

"Yeah." 

Daryl can feel her body heat, he knows that if he leaned just a little to his right he'd be able to press his side against hers. Her breathing is soft and soothing, she must have taken a shower because she smells like irish spring soap. 

"You like it here?" he asks, feeling out of place by making small talk. 

"Yeah," Beth responds, smiling like she knows how uncomfortable speaking makes him, "everyone's nice." 

Yeah, he bets. Starting with that kid who'd been too nice. Daryl doesn't know why it bothers him so much, he should be happy for her right? That she's making all these new friends, that she ain't out alone on the road anymore. But his possessiveness rises up, he wanted her alone to himself for a little while longer, he wanted some of that tenderness all to himself. 

The thought disturbs him, she's just a kid and he's fucking ancient. He has no right to want these things from a girl like her. He shouldn't even want them, he's never needed that from anybody, he's fucking Daryl Dixon, he was beating people up for a living just yesterday. 

"Are you sticking around for a while?" she asks, all of a sudden. 

Daryl wants to say no, wants to get the hell outta dodge before he entangles himself further with these people, with her. He was doing alright by himself wasn't he, didn't have nothing or nobody to tie him down. 

He's only known her a few hours and already he feels a shift inside him. 

"Mmm-hmm," he hums, hoping that she'll understand that he can't give her anything else. 

"I'm glad," she tells him, and Daryl can't see her face but he just knows that she's smiling.


	4. chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beth gets stabbed and Daryl almost dies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also thanks to everyone who's been reading and leaving me comments! I appreciate them so much because I honestly didn't think that even two people would be interested in an x-men au :)

Her bed is right next to an air vent, and she can hear noises coming from it, a muffled voice and what she thinks are snarls. It sounds like Daryl and even after she tries to ignore it, tries to fall asleep, she can't. Eyes wide open, she rises from the bed; the nightgown that Lori had given her tangling in the bed sheets. She chances a look to her roommate but Tara’s fast asleep, sprawled across the bed, without a care in the world.

As quietly as she can, Beth makes her way to the hallway. She follows the distressed sounds, pausing at every other doorway just to make sure she's going in the right direction. They get louder when she reaches the end of the hallway, and she really hopes that Daryl doesn't get angry when she pushes the door open. It’s dark and she’s completely at a loss before her eyesight adjusts itself to the unlit room, the only light coming from an open window across the room.

Daryl’s lying in bed, shirtless and with sweat dripping off his brow. Sheets pooling at his waist and if Beth wasn't so worried she'd be embarrassed, she'd never been alone with a grown man in his room before. His hands are clenched and white knuckled, gripping the sheets, thrashing in his sleep. He makes a low whining sound and it makes Beth step closer, he looks in pain and she needs to wake him up. 

"Daryl," she says softly, cursing herself because she should have put on gloves before entering his room. 

He clenches his teeth and snarls, the sheet falls to his hips and Beth has to force herself not to look away. "Daryl, wake up," she says, a little louder. 

Then he makes a sound that tears through Beth's chest, he sounds terrified and in pain and his eyes are shut tightly, a half strangled sob rips from his mouth and Beth steps closer. 

"DARYL." 

His eyes fly open and he lets out a roar, Beth shrieks and tries to step back but then there’s the distinct sound of his claws popping out and she can’t breathe. Daryl looks fierce, ready to kill one second and the next recognition flashes through his eyes, he looks aghast and it’s the most expressive his face has been since Beth met him. She tries to speak but blood dribbles out of her mouth instead, she looks down and his claws are sticking out of her chest, beautiful and shiny and coated with her blood. His fist is so close to her naked skin that she can feel the warmth radiating from his body, no one’s been this close to her since she manifested. 

“Help,” Daryl mumbles, his eyes widen when he pops the claws back in his hand, Beth wobbles on her feet and he shouts, “Somebody help!” 

She’s drowning, he must have pierced her lung and now she’s drowning. Beth can feel the blood running down the front and back of her pink nightgown, it feels decidedly warmer than the rest of her. She’s starting to feel cold and maybe she’s already dying, unable to breathe and bleeding out in front of Daryl; he looks so completely lost and hopeless that all Beth wants to do is tell him it’s okay.

“Beth,” he lets out, a tiny whisper, his hands go up, like he wants to hold her and she wants him to. If she’s about to die she wants to do it in his arms, she’s been so alone, nearly a year out on the road and not a single hug or a kiss on her forehead. Only unwanted touches and dirty men with their perverse thoughts. 

She wants to touch him, she thinks that he’ll let her, maybe her power isn’t working anymore, since she’s dying and all. Beth raises her right hand and Daryl looks so defeated, he watches her hand as it moves closer to his face and doesn’t move an inch, maybe he wants to be touched by her as well. Beth presses her hand against Daryl’s cheek and for one glorious second there’s nothing, nothing but the feel of his balmy stubbled cheek, but then there it is. The rush of blood and thoughts and feelings and secrets flowing into her like a waterfall, she can feel herself healing from the inside and _of course, he’s a healer._ It burns but she can finally breathe again, the veins and arteries are protruding from his face and neck and now it looks like _he’s_ the one dying, just a little more and Beth lets go. Daryl falls to the ground and starts twitching, like her horse, like Maggie did. 

_No, he can’t be dead, he_ heals. 

_I’m a’right, don’t worry._

It’s another voice in her head, no. It’s him. 

There’s commotion from the doorway and when she spins around Rick and Lori, and a woman named Carol are there, they make their way towards Daryl and it’s then that Beth sees Michonne. The other woman looks at Beth curiously, a furrow between her eyebrows. But Beth’s at a loss for words, how does she explain this, how does she tell them that it’s not what they think. 

_Tell them the truth._

“It was an accident,” she blurts out and before Michonne can respond, Beth makes her way out of the room, a gaggle of kids parting the hallway like the red sea, she can feel their stares on her but it does nothing to override the sudden need to run. Her skin feels too small, she feels too vulnerable all of a sudden, every sound and smell amplified to a thousand, is this how he feels all the time? 

Beth lets out a distressed whimper, “I’m sorry,” she begs, “I just wanted you to wake up.” 

_I told ya, I’m fine._

“How can you stand it?” she asks, and later Beth will think about how crazy she must have looked, pacing up and down the hallway, talking to the voice in her head. 

_Go outside, it helps._

And she does, she runs through the back door onto the porch and into the woods. She picks up speed and a sense of giddiness runs through her entire body, she hardly feels the sticks and stones and dirt on her bare feet, with her hair flying behind her, Beth feels invincible. 

She can hear Daryl chuckling, can almost see him shaking his head at her antics, and it only makes Beth grin even harder. She circles the area around the house, coming to stop by a small pond at the edge of the property. She feels safe, and that pulls an incredulous snort from Daryl, he doesn’t believe her. 

But it’s true. She’s never felt safer, even back when she wasn’t a mutant, in her daddy’s farm. Here and now all she feels is a wave of protectiveness that makes her want to curl up like a pleased cat. Every other time she had touched someone all she’d felt was fear and pain, and whatever other perverse plans they’d had for her, Maggie, an unfortunate waitress, two truckers that had thought she was fair game and now Daryl. It’s different with him, because in the forefront of his mind had been his own worry for her, a certain sense of wonder, and a steady stream of _pleasebeokaypleasebeokaypleasebeokay_. She didn’t want to lock him up in her mind like she’d done the others, it didn’t seem fair to silence his feelings. 

She spins around when she hears someone walking towards her, all her senses on alert. 

"The hell you want?" Beth snarls, and the second the words are out of her mouth she realizes what she's just said, her hands fly to her mouth and she stares aghast at the other woman. 

"It's just me," Lori says, placatingly, stepping closer to Beth. 

"I'm sorry," Beth apologizes, "it's Daryl, he's--," she trails off and shrugs. 

"Is that a side effect of your mutation?" 

Beth stares at the older woman, it's her but it's not really, it's Daryl, telling her to be suspicious, not to easily trust this seemingly kind woman. 

_She's okay I can trust her._

_Y'sure 'bout that?_

_Yes._

"Yes." 

Lori nods but doesn't press further, "Daryl's doing better."

"He's awake?"

"No, not yet," Lori responds, a sad smile gracing her lips, "But Carol was able to stabilize him." 

Beth doesn't know what she would have done if she'd killed him. He was supposed to be indestructible, she'd seen men twice his size beat him in the cage and all it'd taken was a brush of her fingertips to drop him. She could have killed him, and the thought makes her nauseous. 

_But you didn't_ , he says, his voice rough and gentle at the same time, soothing her from the inside. 

"Can I see him?" Beth asks, timid and reserved. 

Lori nods and gives her a warm smile, "Might wanna change your clothes before, though," she says, gesturing towards Beth nightgown. 

She looks down and sees the bloody mess, torn and ripped to ribbons, stained with red. 

That night she sleeps like a rock, Daryl's soothing voice in the back of her mind, dark thoughts seeping into her conscience. Little does Beth know that she'll never be the same again.


End file.
